Note: HUGE spoilers for the final part of Donkey Kong Bananza. Read on at your own risk!
Throughout Donkey Kong Bananza, DK and Pauline fight the Void Company and its leader Void Kong. However, with each new level, the presence of reptiles is present in the game.
Some enemies bear a striking resemblance to the Kremlings from DK's past adventures, hidden treasure chests are green and have what look like crocodile teeth, even Banandium Root – Void's main target for excavating the planet – has a certain resemblance that I just can't put my finger on.
At this point, they seem like simple winks and nods to older players (like me) who have encountered DK before. Then I get to Chapter 15 and the climactic confrontation with Void Kong.
After a tough battle worthy of a final boss encounter, we see what is surely… feels as part of the final cutscene. Pauline saves DK the same way he saved her at the beginning of the game, completing her journey from stage-frightened child to confident performer, and they both stand smiling at each other with the Bandia root out of sight. I expect it to turn black… but then Void Kong attacks Root…
…he dives towards his prize to declare that, according to legend, it is coming true…
…the music swells, the screen turns white…
…and then the eye opens. Massive, covered with veins, green the eyeball fills the screen. Void Kong is the first to be sent into oblivion by the scaly green one. The screen cuts to a pair of giant green legs and slowly moves up past the massive golden belly that used to be called Banandia Root, and we see his face for the first time ever, standing opposite Donkey Kong. 18 years old.
King K. Rool is back.
He thanks DK for freeing him and explains that he and his team were trapped there after trying to take real Banandia root for yourself. Now that he is free, he can continue his search for root. The large crocodile then jumps one level further into the planet, to his valid core, and the ending of Donkey Kong Bananza begins.
Have you ever seen this An old WWE clip of Stone Cold Steve Austin returning to help humanity in 1999.? Replace the sound of breaking glass with the sight of K. Rool's eye opening, and the wild cheers of the crowd flashed through my head at that moment.
The setting is fantastic as the game slowly and regularly plants seeds of memories in your head through the previously mentioned random references. The approach to Void Kong in Chapter 15, as well as the boss fight itself, feels like a fitting climax to Bananza's story. In the blink of an eye, what seemed like an epilogue turned into a final prologue, and I'm still grinning like an idiot thinking about it as I write this, a full five months after I first saw it.
However, the nostalgia doesn't end there. The surprise 16th layer of the planet features a formation of classic Kremling enemies, each with their own original sound effect from the Super Nintendo Donkey Kong Country games. Kremlings make this “ow” sound when you hit them, just like they did when you jumped on them in 1994. The massive bees called Zingers still buzz with that static buzz, and they still hurt DK if he touches them. Buzzards known as Necks make the exact same squeal when they attack you and it took me back to my childhood as if Anton Ego tries Remy's ratatouille.
However, in another clever twist, the Kremling foot soldiers found here attack DK and Polina, just like in previous layers when they were stone monsters hiding gilded skeletons similar to the Kremlings of old. Now that the façade is up, it becomes even more obvious how much Bananza was communicating Kremling's turn right before my eyes, and yet I hardly gave these hints much thought.
And that's all before you get to K. Rool himself, who takes you on with his blunderbuss in a fun duel that, to be fair, ends pretty quickly. You pick up the Root, a huge pile of bananas appears to bring DK and Pauline back to the surface (just keep going), and the credits begin. However, in another Going back to Donkey Kong's past, it's the fake credits with the Kremlings' names instead of the developers, and K. Rool gets up and gives chase. Chef's Kiss.
The next phase of the battle then begins as DK fights off K. Rool, piloting the jetpack, on his way to the surface. This part is supported hard rock version of Gangplank Galleonoriginal music for K. Rool's boss fights from Donkey Kong Country, and this version toppled Ultimate version of Super Smash Bros. for the title of “Best rendition of Gangplank Galleon of all time”, in my humble opinion.
Once DK and Pauline surface, they appear in New Donk City from Super Mario Odyssey, adding a second, fresher touch of nostalgia. K. Rool takes the Banandia Root, floods the city with rotten, squishy bananas, and DK must battle the Kremlings and the growing banana mush to stand up to the wily crocodile one last time.
In the final battle, K. Rool uses the power of the Root to transform into a huge, banana-fueled version of himself called K. Rool, the Rot King – which sounds like K. Rool was researching the works of one Hidetaka Miyazaki in his extended absence. Once this version of the rotten reptile is defeated, the adventure finally comes to an end, marked valid this time loans.
The whole thing is a masterclass in mixing nostalgia with the new to create an experience that will stick with me for a while. Despite the reptilian references scattered throughout the game's levels, Void Kong is presented as the worst story ever. He is constantly present in cutscenes, shouting insults at DK, as well as giving orders to his subjects… much the same way K. Rool did.
Then, with Void defeated, the mask comes off as K. Rool returns and suddenly it becomes a trip down memory lane. The aforementioned enemies are obvious callbacks, but the various parts of Layer 16 are connected by mine cart rides, while the ambient golden glow of Banandia Root's influence creates a feeling similar to that of encountering Kong's Banana Hoard in the original Donkey Kong Country. Seeing K. Rool's return so wonderfully executed, and then enhancing that moment with all the other callbacks that pop up as they try to thwart the returned ruler, is the kind of pure gaming happiness that Nintendo has been delivering since my youth.
Welcome back, King K. Rool. I look forward to our next meeting, whenever that may be. I hope you'll be around for more than just the final challenge.
